Evidence-based strategies to prevent diabetes ushers identifying and developing methods to manage diabetes. A recent study published in ‘The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism’ revealed that a healthy diet including whole fruits mitigates type 2 diabetes risk.

      The objective of the study was to examine associations between intake of fruit types (total fruit, individual fruits commonly consumed by cohort participants, and fruit juice) and two parameters (1) measures of glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity and (2) diabetes at follow-up. Participants included in this study were men and women aged 25 years or older, recruited to the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab). The habitual dietary intake of participants at baseline was assessed using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Primary outcomes included measures of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postload plasma glucose (PLG), updated homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function (HOMA2-%β), HOMA2 of insulin sensitivity (HOMA2-%S), and fasting insulin levels obtained at baseline. The secondary outcome was incident T2DM at follow-up (5 and 12 years).

      The results revealed that total fruit intake was significantly inversely associated with serum insulin and HOMA2-%β, and significantly positively associated with HOMA2-%S. Compared to participants in the lowest total fruit intake quartile, participants in the highest intake quartile had a 3% lower PLG (0.97 [0.96-0.99]), a 5% lower serum insulin (0.95 [0.93-0.98]), a 2% lower HOMA2-%β (0.98 [0.96-1.00]), and a 6% higher HOMA2-%S (1.06 [1.03-1.09]), after multivariable adjustments. The findings from the study also emphasized encouraging the consumption of whole fruits such as apples, bananas, and oranges, with widespread geographical availability, but not fruit juice, to preserve insulin sensitivity and mitigate T2DM risk.